Warzone
''Warzone ''is a critically acclaimed third-person shooter and action/adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Monteral, Ubisoft Massive and Ubisoft Red Storm that was released to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles as well as the PC. The game follows an elite team of soldiers who must eliminate a terrorist cell who have plans of starting a global nuclear war. The game was announced on November 15th, 2010 and was slated for an August 2011 release until the game was delayed for thirteen months due to financial issues and publishing complications. This game is also the first to use Ubisoft's Uncanny and''' Binary ''engines, which received honorable mentions in several reviews of the game. The''Uncanny engine is behind the realistic damage done to buildings, the characters and the enviroment while the Binary engine is behind the fluid motion of the characters' bodies and lips. The game became the most hyped of 2011 next to Saints Row: The Third, Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3. On May 21st, 2011, Ubisoft released a statement saying that the game has hit a brick wall in the publishing stages and will have to be delayed for a while until these issues can be attended to. Thirteen months later on the day of its worldwide release, over 7.9 million Warzone copies were sold and became the highest grossing game of 2012, with over $9,785,323 grossed in the first week. Overall, the game was well-received by critics, with the single-player story, Dark Ops and multiplayer modes being singled out as the strongest features. A sequel, Warzone II,''is currently in development and will be relased in late 2015. Gameplay Gameplay in Warzone is similiar to Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed since the player can climb and traverse obstacles while having proficient weapon and melee capabilities. The game takes place mostly on foot, but there are some segments focused on vehicular combat. There are also cinematic sequences that require the player to press a button on the controller at a certain time to advance. Warzone also includes a multiplayer mode, which consists of eight game types total. In multiplayer, the player can earn XP and upgrade their soldier, weapons and gadgets as well as the benefits they will use in the battlefield. 'Dark Ops Dark Ops is a bonus game mode that offers a wide variety of challenges for the player to complete. Ubisoft creative producer Ryder Wilson stated that "over 500 challenges will be presented to the player" for the chance to earn XP for multiplayer mode. The game mode also has a side-story campaign that takes place two years before the events of Warzone. The story takes place two years before the events of Warzone and centers around three NSA agents named Alex, Skyler and Jacob who must destroy a nerve gas that was used to kill over 4,000 people in Astrakhan, Russia. While searching for leads on the nerve gas, the Trio learns of a far more sinister plot that is being planned. 'Multiplayer' The main multiplayer mode of Warzone contains up to eight different game modes. The modes are as follows: In Multiplayer mode, players earn XP by playing online matches. XP is earned to gain promotions, which gives the player access to more powerful weapons, equipment and upgrades. The player can also obtain Benefits which gives the player an advantage during matches. The following are all the Benefits: Along with Benefits, Warzone Multiplayer also has Battle Rewards, which turn the tables against your opponents in any match. The following are all the Battle Rewards: Maps Warzone's Multiplayer mode also comes with 15 maps that are all objective-based. The maps are as follows: Weapons Pistols *M1911 .45 *MEU(SOC) *Beretta M9 *SIG P226 *Desert Eagle *USP.45 *MK-23 *Colt OHWS Rifles and Carbines *M-16A4 *M-249 SAW *M4 *M4A1 *SAM-R *KH2002 *FAMAS *G36C *Mark 12 SPR *AK-47 *ACR *AR-15 *DMR *M39 *Sr-25 *XM8 *FN FAL *FN SCAR *M14 Shotguns *M870 *SPAS-12 *M1014 *Mossberg 500/590 *USAS-12 *M26 Synopsis 'Characters and Setting' Warzone takes place in 2017 where the Korean War has resumed after the cease-fire armstice was violated by North Korea, who launched a devastating attack on the South Korean city of Daegu in July of 2012. During this time, fears of nuclear war began to spread as the United States returned to South Korea to fortify the country and give military support. As the Korean War rages on, a terrorist organization known as COBRA reveals themselves, with the sole intention of bringing about the end of the United States and other NATO-controlled countries through nuclear warfare. In response to the terror group, a task force codenamed "ECHO-4" is created by the NSA to combat the threat. In the storyline, players assume the role of Special Forces Captain David Marcus. *Ryan Reynolds as Special Forces Captain David Marcus*, the main protagonist and captain of ECHO-4. *Thomas Gibson as Special Forces Sergeant Greg Rivas*, the second in command to David. *John Malkovich as CIA'' ''Director Fletcher Wells, the current director of the Central Intelligence Agency. *Ice-T as Special Forces PFC Quentin Bailey, a loyal private in ECHO-4. *Ryan Gosling as Special Forces Corporal Preston Callahan, the tough and determined corporal of ECHO-4. *Cliff Curtis as Al-Ahad Samir / "Watcher", the main antagonist and leader of COBRA. *Ben Kingsley as Namid al-Sir, the leader of the Resurgence. *Dustin Hoffman as President Mortimer Campbell*, the 46th president of the United States. *Anthony Jeselnik as Agent Alex Caine*, the main protagonist of the Dark Ops storyline. *Colin O'Donoghue as Agent Skyler Channing*, the partner of Alex Caine. *Mike Erwin as Agent Jacob Wheeler, Alex's other partner. *Sam Douglas as APEX, the command center for ECHO-4. *Playable characters. 'Plot' On April 17th, 2012, the United States ceded wartime control of the South Korean military, thus dissolving the Combined Forces Command. Three months later, the South Korean city of Daegu is attacked by North Korean forces under the command of Kim Jong-il. Because of this attack, the dreaded Korean War resumes, bringing the United States back to South Korea to help fortify the country and give military support. Chinese forces later travel to North Korea to give the country military support as well. Five years later, a terrorist organization calling themselves "COBRA" surfaces, promising that the United States and other NATO countries will be destroyed. Demonstrating their power, COBRA bombs the city of Gujranwala in Pakistan, which leaves the city in almost total ruin. In response to the threat, the National Security Agency creates an elite team of soldiers codenamed "ECHO-4" to help deal with COBRA and the possible threat they pose to the United States and other countries. Two days later, Special Forces Captain David Marcus is airlifted to a top-secret NSA base hidden in Mount Rogers, West Virginia to hone his skills and get to know the rest of team. At the base, he befriends Sergeant Greg Rivas, PFC Quentin Bailey and Corporal Preston Callahan. After their training, Marcus and the rest of the team are met by CIA Director Fletcher Wells, who briefs them on how dangerous their mission is. After their brief meeting, the team is extracted to the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan to meet with the Resurgence, an army formed to fight back against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces, to investigate a COBRA base that was last reported to have suspicious activity. Namid al-Sir, the Resurgence leader, states that the army has been battling at the COBRA base since dawn. Acknowledging this, the two teams travel to the base and battle through dozens of COBRA squadrons while their main objective is to overthrow the base and search for intel. After reaching the center of the base, ECHO-4 and the Resurgence are met by an individual on a large screen calling himself the "Watcher", who informs them that they cannot stop what is about to come. As he says this, the base begins to collapse as COBRA forces begin to fire artillery at it. The team barely makes it out and escapes while the base is completely destroyed. The team later returns to the Resurgence's main base, where they talk with Wells about what happened. Wells admires COBRA's audacity, but fears that that may be a very dangerous trait for an army if they're willing to give up one of their strongest bases. Wells then informs the team that a former COBRA member calling himself "Prophet" is slated to be executed in Kabul, Afghanistan in several hours. Wells then adds that the member may have important information regarding COBRA and that this may be their only chance. The team gears up and travels to Kabul, where COBRA has taken over. As soon as the team arrives, their helicopter is shot down, forcing them to jump and land on the ground below. David and the rest of the team become isolated as the team is bombarded by enemy artillery. David makes his way to the city as he re-unites with Greg, who tells him that the rest of the team are on their way to extract Prophet. As he says this, Quentin informs the two that Prophet is at the center of the city. The two then reach the city center, where they find that Prophet is at gunpoint. David grabs a sniper rifle and heads into an average sized building nearby and sets up near a vantage point. David kills the executioner as the team advances towards Prophet, who appears to have been shot in the abdomen. Fearing Prophet may bleed out, the team hurriedly makes their way to an extraction point set up by Namid. The team hops on a helicopter with Prophet and barely manages to escape. Several hours later, Wells receives information of strange activity in Washington D.C. that could be related to COBRA. In secrecy, Wells sends out agents Alex Caine, Jacob Wheeler, Skyler Channing and multiple back-up units to investigate the activity. During their investigation, the agents discover that there are several nerve gas bombs scattered around the city ready to be activated by a sleeper cell sent by COBRA. The agents quickly divide themselves to disable all the bombs and eventually, the threat is eliminated and one of the sleeper agents is found and taken back to CIA headquarters. Meanwhile at the Resurgence base, Prophet has recovered from his bullet wound and manages to reveal much information about COBRA and their "top dogs". One he mentions is Rasul Hasif, second in command to the Watcher. Prophet explains that before he was captured, he heard that Rasul was going to be in Azad Kashmir for the next five days. Preston calculates that they still have some time to find Rasul and interrogate him. Prophet then adds that their mission will not be easy, since a local militia in the town has surfaced and seems to favor COBRA's current regime. The team acknowledges this as they head for Azad Kashmir. After the team disperses into Azad Kashmir, they spot Rasul amongst the crowd, forcing David and Preston to blend into the crowd while Rivas and Quentin find vantage points on the nearby buildings. As David approaches Rasul, the latter punches him and takes his weapon, firing it once into the sky to cause the crowd to panic. Rasul then runs away as David recovers from the sucker punch. Greg tells David Rasul's current location and David immediately heads in that direction. David finally catches up to Rasul, and after a long and grueling chase, Rasul comes to the edge of a high rooftop. With Preston, Greg and Quentin following with guns trained, Rasul leaps off the building and David jumps after him, grabbing Rasul and aiming for a large tarp, which ultimately breaks their fall. David gets up and restrains Rasul as the rest of the team arrives and takes Rasul to a nearby warehouse. Rasul is strapped into a chair and Rivas interrogates him while David watches out one of the windows. He notices that the militia are gathering on the rooftops. David then sees an RPG being loaded as he turns around to warn his team. As David turns back around, the RPG is fired and blows up most of the warehouse, knocking out David and the others while Rasul escapes. David regains consciousness in time to chase after Rasul, but a militia helicopter arrives and destroys an underpass that Rasul runs under to prevent David from following him. In the end, Rasul gets away as Greg and the others arrive in a truck. David gets in and the four leave the hostile area. Four hours beforehand, Alex, Skyler and Jacob are interrogating Murtaza, the COBRA sleeper cell agent, who (depending on the player's actions in the interrogation), will reveal or not reveal information about COBRA's plan. After the interrogation, Alex and Skyler walk out and try to discuss a new tactic. As the two are talking, several armed men enter the CIA headquarters and shoot up the place, leaving Alex and Skyler to deal with them while Jacob is surprised by a blow to the head by Murtaza, who managed to get free from his handcuffs. Jacob and Murtaza then fight in the interrogation room while Alex and Skyler fight with the armed invaders. After supposedly killing all of the intruders, a surviving intruder manages to arm himself with a rocket launcher and shoot it into the headquarters, severely injuring Alex and Skyler. Afterwards, Jacob is knocked out by Murtaza, who manages to escape the headquarters with the armed men. The next day, David and the team receive word that COBRA are advancing their regime and have begun their invasion of Islamabad in Pakistan. Finalizing that attacking them head-on will be impossible, Wells recommends that the team travel through the ruined city of Gujranwala to get to the nation's captial, since there will be low opposition there. The team agrees and heads for Gujranwala. Traveling through the ruined city, the team reflects on how dangerous the mission is and how they may never come back in one piece. As they reach the border of Gujranwala, the team begins to notice the heavy military presence of COBRA and proceeds to carefully infiltrate past the border of Islamabad and receive word from Wells that there are several Marine squadrons heading to the city to provide support while the team deals with the main threat. After the Marines arrive, the team is given orders to deactivate a salted bomb that COBRA placed on the roof of a nearby office building. The team then gets to the building and reaches the rooftop after battling several COBRA squads. David then deactivates the bomb with the help of Greg. Soon after, enemy fighter planes fly into the city and shoot missiles into the building, damaging the structure. The team then escapes the roof and discovers there is no way out. A Marine helicopter then arrives, allowing the team to escape safely, but David misses his jump when a surviving COBRA member shoots him in the leg. David falls 20 feet onto a scaffolding, which collapses and sends David falling an additional 30 feet. David is critically injured by this, and tries to signal the helicopter, but it is forced to retreat due to heavy fire. Quentin and the others object to this, but the pilot says there's no way unless they want to die. The helicopter flies away as David crawls off the roof and onto a large pile of garbage bags. David tries to escape, but he is eventually caught by COBRA soldiers, who bring him to a tall, brutish man. David then notices Rasul Hasif among the soldiers before he is knocked out. On the helicopter, the team fights off enemy fighter planes and helicopters as they try and reach Sargodha, the nearest city to Islamabad. Before the team makes it, a stray missile destroy's the helicopter's tail, sending it crashing down close to the border of Sargodha. The team manages to get out of the crashed helicopter and make their final stand against the COBRA forces. However, before any of the COBRA soldiers could shoot, several unknown fighter planes swoop by, destroying most of the COBRA air vehicles and soldiers. The surviving members are shot down by Quentin and the others as a helicopter lands. It is Namid, who happened to be passing by Sargodha before he noticed the team's helicopter being shot at. Namid takes the team back to Sargodha, where they discuss events that have occurred in the past 14 hours. Preston informs Namid of David, and how they had to leave him behind. Namid is concerned, saying that David is most likely in the hands of COBRA now. 'Trophies' *'Platinum' - Earn all other trophies in Warzone. *'Day Zero' - Complete your training at Mount Rogers. *'Sharpshooter' - Complete the accuracy course in under 20 seconds. *'Over the Hill' - Raid a large COBRA base. *'SNAFU' - Rescue Prophet and escape Kabul. *'The Pink Mist' - Kill Prophet's executioner with a headshot. *'Up Close and Personal' - Prevent a terrorist attack. *'The Suck' - Acquire intelligence about COBRA. *'Target Located' - Locate Rasul within 30 seconds of being knocked out. *'Extreme Measures' - Defend the CIA Headquarters. *'Quite Persuasive' - Successfully get Murtaza to reveal information about COBRA's plans. *'Amongst the Ruins' - Liberate the city of Gujranwala. *'Silence is Golden' - Traverse Gujranwala without being spotted by an enemy. *Bomberman - Deactivate the salted bomb in Islamabad. *'Esprit de Corps' - Escape from the COBRA forces outside Islamabad. Story Locations *Mount Rogers NSA Base, United States *Cholistan Desert, Pakistan *Azad Kashmir, Pakistan *Kabul, Afghanistan *Washington D.C., United States *Marala Headworks, Pakistan *Chenab River, Pakistan *Baglihar Dam, Pakistan *Avari Towers, Pakistan *Baltaro Glacier, Pakistan *Islamabad, Pakistan *Seoul, South Korea *Saint Petersburg, Russia *Delaz Nuclear Facility, Iran Soundtrack The game's soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer, who also composed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. #Opening (2:56) #COBRA (4:15) #David Marcus (5:22) #Briefing (6:43) #Cholistan Desert (2:09) #The Resurgence (3:21) #COBRA Base Battle (10:38) #Displaying Authority (3:59) #Prophet (2:13) #Reprieve (6:55) #Escape From Kabul (3:32) #Washington Threat (5:51) #Rasul Hasif (4:25) #Ambush (3:59) #Interrogation Room (9:13) #The Armed Men (6:56) #Ruined City (11:37) #Islamabad (5:15) #Down and Out (3:29) Along with the basic soundtrack, the game also provides several songs by various artists such as Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath and Ministry. #"Man in the Box" - Alice in Chains #"LiesLiesLies" - Ministry #"War Pigs" - Black Sabbath #"Blow Me Away" - Breaking Benjamin #"Symphony of Destruction" - Megadeth #"That Fire" - Black Tide #"Walking On The Sun" - Smash Mouth Downloadable Content A pack called Warzone: Korea was released with the special editions of the game which could also be downloaded on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. The pack detailed the events that occurred during the first five years of the Korean War's continuation and introduced three new multiplayer maps. It was highly praised by critics. Another DLC pack titled "Warzone: Coalition of Red Nations" is slated for worldwide release on September 29th, 2013 and will reportedly take place one year after the events in Warzone. Editions -- Critical Reception Warzone has received universal acclaim. Many critics praised the game's fluent control scheme and the unique storyline. They also noted Ryan Reynold's performance as well as the entire cast, which earned them rewards for Best Voice Actors of 2011. IGN gave the game a 9.7 out of 10, saying that "Warzone ''is a highly addictive and fun game that has many possibilities". 1Up.com praised the game, saying that "the story is well-written, and has several reasons to want to play the campaign again and again". The site also praised the multiplayer, stating that "''Warzone's multiplayer is vigorously fun and entertaining and will stay fresh for years to come". Category:2011 video games Category:Video Games